A New Age of Engineering

The new Optical Medical Imaging Center in the Bill and Rita Clements Advanced Medical Imaging Building at UT Southwestern Medical Center houses four laboratories for UT Arlington engineering researchers.

While the Engineering Research Building is the largest of the College of Engineering's construction initiatives, other projects are bringing the college to the forefront of the engineering world.

The $10 million, 25,000-square-foot Civil Engineering Laboratory Building—which opened in August—addresses the substantial growth of that discipline.

We've doubled the number of undergraduate and graduate students from 2000 to now, said Nur Yazdani, chair of the Civil Engineering Department. We are the premier civil engineering program in North Texas. The new facility helps us meet growth needs in teaching and research, as well as establishes new laboratories in high-demand areas.

Its specialties are asphalt and pavement, construction, materials and structures, and geoenvironmental/geotechnical systems.

A project with UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas features four laboratories in the Bill and Rita Clements Advanced Medical Imaging Building for UT Arlington College of Engineering professors who are working on medical imaging projects.

The joint effort is thought to be the first time UT Southwestern has dedicated space exclusively to an engineering college, said Professor Khosrow Behbehani, chair of the UT Arlington Bioengineering Department.

We want to put engineering researchers in close proximity to the medical doctors who treat patients to create the most conducive environment for innovation in optical medical imaging, Dr. Behbehani said.

U.S. Rep. Joe Barton secured $3.1 million in federal funding to seal the project.

MAC Gets You in Shape in Style

Maverick Activities Center

Recently featured in Texas Architect magazine, the Maverick Activities Center (MAC) provides 190,000 square feet of cutting-edge fitness opportunities for UT Arlington faculty, staff, students and alumni. In fact, more than 12,000 members are taking advantage of the MAC's offerings, which include a 20,000-square-foot weight and fitness center with more than 80 pieces of cardio equipment, three circuit training units and a free weight area. Ms. UTA Linda Nguyen is among the iconic building's more than 2,000 daily users. The MAC really is a state-of-the-art facility with all the amenities that I could possibly ask for, the kinesiology major said. I like how convenient and accessible it is for students. It's also a great common meeting place. It's nice to be able to be healthy, learn and have fun all in the same building. The MAC also features multipurpose rooms that accommodate yoga, martial arts and aerobics; five indoor basketball courts; eight volleyball courts; an indoor soccer gymnasium; two indoor tracks; five racquetball courts; 10 badminton courts; a gaming area; a computer lab; Wellness Resource Center conference rooms and more. Phase one opened in September 2007 and phase two followed in March 2008.

Taking Sustainability to a Higher Level

David Hopman atop the experimental green roof

Energy savings and improved air quality are among the benefits expected from an experimental green roof on 1,000 square feet atop the Life Science Building. The project includes the installation of the roofing systems, irrigation, plants, wireless sensors to monitor light, temperature and moisture, and about 30,000 pounds of soil. Under the direction of landscape architecture Assistant Professor David Hopman, the green roof research initiative involves faculty, staff, students and alumni from the School of Architecture, School of Urban and Public Affairs, and Department of Computer Science and Engineering. American Hydrotech and Weston Green Grid donated materials for the project.

Makeover Gives Greek Row a New Look

Greek Row residents recently received a boost to their curb appeal. As part of a major facelift, a median landscaped with trees donated by TXU Energy now bisects resurfaced traffic lanes along Greek Row Drive. The project, a joint effort by UT Arlington and the City of Arlington, also includes upgrades to the water and sewer lines from Davis Street to Nedderman Drive. Ownership/control of the street was transferred from the city to the University, a move that will simplify using the road for campus events.